Death, taxes, and Mississippi State basketball taking crushing losses to Kentucky on an annual basis. The #14 Bulldogs fell 95-90 to the #6 Wildcats in front of a packed-out Humphrey Coliseum Saturday night, and it was a game that State fans feel like they've seen all too often. The Bulldogs had their chances, but when they needed a timely stop or shot, they couldn't get it. It was the 19th-straight regular season loss to the Wildcats for MSU. MSU is now 14-2 (2-1 SEC) on the year.
Kentucky's three-point shooting was too much for Mississippi State
Chris Jans hoped to build his Mississippi State roster to be better equipped to win true shootout games. They're certainly better suited for those matchups, but they had little chance Saturday with how well Kentucky shot the ball from distance. The Cats shot 50% from three with 16 makes. Kentucky guard Jaxson Robinson was 7-10 from three on his way to a game-high 27 point performance.
State's three-point defense has been hit or miss this season, and Kentucky is exactly the type of team that can take advantage there. It didn't help that the Bulldogs uncharacteristically shot the ball poorly from beyond the arc most of the night. MSU is much-better offensively this season, good enough to stay within striking distance of the Cats. But they aren't yet in a place where they can get away with that poor a defensive performance.
Closing sequence was simply not what Mississippi State basketball needed in this type of game
Despite poor defense and iffy shooting, State easily could've won this basketball game. With 1:33 left, they trailed 91-90 with the ball. Josh Hubbard missed a quick three that, while not a bad look for him specifically, probably shouldn't have been taken that early. Kentucky would extend the lead to three with 1:05 to go, but it was still just a one score game with plenty of time. This possession was all-around poorly executed, leading to Hubbard taking and missing a bad shot with 42 seconds left.
State would attempt to play it out on defense, Kentucky would tack on another two with just 15 seconds remaining, and that was it. After being down just one with 1:33 left, MSU went scoreless the rest of the way. A bad offensive approach down the stretch ended any shot at getting a big win. They didn't look settled at all in that situation.
Bulldogs must respond quickly to Saturday's loss
As frustrating as it is for Mississippi State to, once again, lose a game like this, the Bulldogs have no time to dwell on the result. It's impossible to get a more brutal quick-turnaround than what State has been granted. Tuesday night, they'll head to Auburn to take on a Tigers team expected to be ranked #1 in one of the hardest arenas to play at in the country.
As early as it is, if State wants to stay in the mix to win the SEC, they'll need to find a win at Auburn, which will take their absolute best effort on both ends of the floor. That means flushing this loss to Kentucky and immediately regrouping. Even if they can't get a win, you don't want to see the Bulldogs have a hangover after this loss. With as good as the SEC is this season, you're going to have to show resiliency on a game by game basis to stay competitive within the league. We'll learn a lot about how well the Bulldogs are equipped for a quick-turnaround off a tough loss this week.